Are You Even an Alchemist

After leaving the Hunter's Guild, Karsha and his companions began making their way to the Alchemy Guild. Of course, the spy was following them from a safe distance, ensuring he wasn't discovered.

Karsha, who had already detected his presence, continued to chuckle to himself as he devised a wicked plan for the spy.

In the spy game, strength means little; it's all about intelligence and quick-wittedness. A mere foot soldier with great expertise can easily outmatch a reckless trained spy.

Karsha knew this all too well, having eliminated a few spies himself over the years. He used his experience to identify and neutralize threats before they could become dangerous.

So, when he discovered the spy tailing him, he knew what had to be done. As someone who had trained hundreds of spies, he knew the perfect way to handle it.

He wasn't concerned about the spy's cultivation level because he didn't plan on facing him in a fair fight. He wasn't one to preach about the honor of a warrior when facing an dishonorable threat.

"Big Brother, did you really kill that Mutant?" Xian, who had been quiet for some time now, asked.

"Of course. It took me some time, but I managed to kill it. But I have to say, the Mutant is far stronger than the other Tier 5 beasts," Karsha answered without bothering to look at the shocked expression on Xian's face.

"You... You seem unconcerned about the fact that you encountered a Mutant and came out alive," Elder June, who also seemed astonished, spoke.

"Karsha, Mutants are not beasts that you can easily fight and come out unscathed. They are dangerous and far more difficult to deal with. So the fact that you killed one, and a Tier 5 at that, you have to understand why people would be shocked hearing that," Elder June explained, and Karsha, who was paying close attention, couldn't help but smile.

"So, aside from Mutants, are there others stronger?" He asked. Since the situation called for it, he had to capitalize on it and learn something. After all, he is but a walking empty vessel.

"Yes, there are others, but they are rare. Before the Mutants, there are Alpha beasts that have three classes: Lesser Alpha, Great Alpha, and Dark Alpha. They are mostly leaders of packs and move with other monsters. Then there are the Mutants, who can be considered an upgraded version of a monster. There are Lesser, Great, Dark, Terror, and Calamity Mutants.

Let's say a monster of the fire type that has evolved to become a Mutant; their fire will become increasingly powerful compared to a normal monster."

"How high are we talking?" Karsha asked.

"About a 400% upgrade. That is how high they can rise. My mom used to say that a mutant has the power to face normal monsters that are even two tiers above them," Elder June replied, making sure Karsha understood.

"I see," Karsha nodded. "What about the rest? Are there more categories?" he asked.

"After the Mutants, there are the World Bosses. Unlike the Alphas and Mutants, World Bosses have two strengths: their own and that of their pack. They lead huge packs of monsters on raids. The higher the number of monsters under them, the stronger they get.

Killing them is only possible if you manage to kill all the monsters under them. Of course, those strong enough can go after the World Boss while the monsters under them are still alive. However, that approach is not advised.

A World Boss, just like an Alpha and a Mutant, also has classes: Lesser, Great, Dark, Terror, Calamity, Devil, and Abomination," Elder June dropped yet another bomb, and this time, Karsha's face showed some reaction.

"How strong are they actually? I mean, the World Bosses," Karsha, who couldn't believe what he was hearing, asked.

"Nobody knows, or at least I haven't met anyone with information on that. But rumor has it, these monsters are the leaders when Tier 10 and upward Dimensional Gates open.

There haven't been any Tier 10 gates opening in this kingdom for a very long time, so that theory can't be verified, but many believe there are World Bosses out there."

"Sorry to ask, but what are these Dimensional Gates?" Karsha, who kept hearing about the Dimensional Gates, couldn't help but ask at the first chance he got.

In response, however, Elder June just replied with a few words, "This world is at war with some unknown worlds. Either we conquer them, or they conquer us." That was all she said, leaving Karsha to ponder what to do with it.

He digested the information for a while, but just when he was about to ask a question, Xian spoke, "We are here, the Alchemy Guild."

They stopped in front of a very tall building designed like a cauldron. From the look outside, it didn't take Karsha long to realize it had twelve floors.

They entered the first floor, which was on the ground level. Stepping through the doors, they were greeted by the faces of many people going about their daily activities.

There was no delay inside since everyone seemed busy with something. "Let's go over there; that's the section for cauldrons," Xian said as they started moving toward a store with a cauldron sale post on their counter.

"Welcome to Happy Home Cauldrons. How may I be of service to you today?" a man who looked like he was in his early 50s asked.

"We are looking to buy a cauldron," Karsha answered.

"Then you are in the right place. We have some of the best cauldrons out there," the man said. "By the way, my name is Orga."

Karsha could sense the man's cunning nature from far away but decided to go with the flow and see how he would try to scam a master scammer who prided himself as the best scammer to ever walk the earth.

'This guy won't know what hit him. Is he even an alchemist?' Orga thought inwardly as he pressed a button, and a small door opened, revealing a lift leading to the next floor. "Kindly follow me," he gestured, and without delay, they were standing on the second floor, where many could still be seen going about their activities.

"We have cauldrons ranging from the common grade to legendary. You can start from this section and let me know which one you prefer," Orga said, stepping back.

Under normal circumstances, a seller would guide the buyer through their goods, presenting the pros and cons of particular items. However, Orga saw an opportunity to scam three kids—yes, three kids. Elder June had altered her appearance to that of a 16-year-old, average-looking girl.

Because of this, the seller saw no threat and just wanted to cheat them. However, he picked the wrong bunch. Inside Karsha's head was the knowledge of the Divine Alchemist. Picking a cauldron was child's play to him.

To prove this, Karsha walked to a section Orga never thought the boy would go to: the Named Cauldron section.

Named Cauldrons are cauldrons that have been given names based on three factors. First, the material used in crafting them. Cauldrons are crafted from rare and sturdy materials. Most of these materials can be monster bodies, bones, cores, metals, and many more.

They come in various forms, and depending on the quality of the material, the cauldron produced from it will also bear those qualities.

Then comes the second factor: the magical properties. Not all cauldrons have magical properties. Some are just big bowls with nothing special about them. However, there are a few that possess magical properties.

These magical properties further enhance the user's success when crafting pills.

Lastly, the person who crafted the cauldron plays a significant role. There are many artisans out there, and they all have their own ways of building their art. If an artisan manages to craft something phenomenal, they usually give it a name to ensure that even after years, they will still be remembered when the name of the item is mentioned.

However, named cauldrons come with a challenge. Not everyone can use them, as most of these cauldrons have restrictions or tests that must be passed by the one who wants to use them.

Many have tried but failed to get the approval of a named cauldron. Because of this, prices for named cauldrons are relatively lower than those for unnamed cauldrons.

Despite this, they are more powerful than ordinary cauldrons of the same rank.

Karsha, after moving to the Named Cauldron section, began browsing through the cauldrons. Each cauldron had a name, a short description of its magical properties, and a price attached to it.

He saw cauldrons with various magical properties, but after a quick glance, he would move to the next and then the next for almost 30 minutes.

[Zealot Fire Cauldron: Epic] - 16,000

- Crafted by the famous artisan known to have risen to the Sage level when he was just 1,000 years old. This cauldron comes with a unique fire that further helps in removing impurities from the pills before they fully solidify.

[Himlin Dark Cauldron: Rare] - 14,000

- Using the dark fires of the black dragons, the famous craftsman known as Himlin built this cauldron, which has two magical properties:

> Self-heating: The cauldron self-heats without the alchemist having to heat it manually.

> Self-solidifying: The cauldron can solidify the pills after every ingredient has been added.

Karsha continued examining the cauldrons, considering their magical properties and craftsmanship, carefully evaluating which one would best suit his needs.

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Karsha went through nearly thirty cauldrons but didn't pick any of them. The one he wanted wasn't among the ones on display. So, after he bypassed the last cauldron, Orga sighed in relief, thinking he was back on track.

However, the next second, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw Karsha walk toward a certain cauldron sitting in one corner.

[Lonely Cauldron: Epic] - 5,000

- You have what it takes to craft great pills; why don't I accompany you on this journey?

> Self-Healing: No matter how shattered this cauldron is, it will always heal back over time.

"I choose this cauldron," Karsha said as a small smile escaped his lips. 'Gotcha,' he thought.